Wilton quartet reaches top

Published 8:00 pm, Monday, July 20, 2009

Four Wilton residents got that chance this spring -- all of them in lacrosse.

Three of them made it to the NCAA Division I Final Four and three had the chance to play for the national title. One athlete was crowned a national champion.

Steve Giannone

It is the pinnacle of any athlete's career: The NCAA Division I National Championship.

It is a moment most athletes will never forget. Recently graduated University of Virginia lacrosse player Steve Giannone never will.

"How can anything else come close to that," said the Wilton resident and Millbrook School grad of the national championship. "There were some great players on that team. It was a thrill to be a part of it. The seniors took a leadership role and helped the rest of us. They were not only tremendous players, but tremendous leaders as well."

Giannone played extensively his freshman year, scoring 10 goals and doling out five assists for the 17-0 Virginia team. It was one of three years that Giannone scored 10 goals or more, but he hit the back of the net the most during his senior season, finishing with 17 goals and eight assists. He finished his career with 46 goals and 16 assists. Of his goals, five were game winning goals.

Virginia posted at least 12 wins in each of Giannone's four years on the team. They finished with an overall record of 58-11 overall.

"I had the chance to play in front of some large crowds," said Giannone. "The loudest was the Syracuse University dome. Because of the crowd and the rivalry, the game was very intense. I will miss playing for Virginia. It was an honor to be part of such a tight knit team."

The son of Ellen and Jeff Giannone of Westport, formerly of Wilton, earned his degree in sociology. He will be moving to Jackson Hole, Wyo., within the next month. He was named to the all-academic team in the ACC. He earned the honor during five semesters. He was also named to the dean's list during his freshman year.

"My parents traveled many miles to see me play," said Giannone. "I can't thank them or Virginia Coach Dom Starsia enough. I could not have dreamed a career this good."

Caitlin Young

Caitlin Young knows what it is like to play on both sides of the field.

For the first three years at University of North Carolina, the Wilton grad was a defensive player. As a senior, she switched to attacker.

"I loved playing attacker, but I was not prepared for the position change," said Young. "I worked all summer on my defensive skills. I would have worked on my shooting skills and would have been more ready had I known."

In her final year, Young played in five games and had one goal in those five games. North Carolina advanced to the NCAA Division I title game, losing a 21-7 decision to Northwestern University. To earn a trip to the title game, UNC defeated Towson University (15-4), Notre Dame (16-10) and University of Maryland (8-7) to be invited to the national title game.

"We were emotionally so ready for Maryland," said Young. "No one really gave us a chance to beat them, but we all believed that we could. We played our best game of the year against them. Against Northwestern, we were flat and they were ready for us."

North Carolina finished the year with a 17-5 mark. The second-place finish is the highest in the history of Tar Heel women's lacrosse. Young finished her career with three goals. The former Wilton player, who played in 24 games, also caused 10 turnovers and had seven ground balls. For her play on the lacrosse field, she was named the UNC Most Improved Player of the Year in 2006.

"The sport is growing so fast and the talent level is getting better at all schools," said Young. "Because of the rush to get talent, coaches are attempting to sign athletes early. They should take their time and pick out the right school for them. Fall in love with the school, because you are going to be there for at least four years."

In the classroom, the daughter of Robin and Robin Young of Wilton earned her degree in exercise and sport science, with an emphasis on fitness professional. She received her degree in May. For her work in the classroom, she was named to the dean's list three times, including the final semester.

"My high school coaches (Cindy Wiseman and Ciara Thurlow) were a huge influence on my career," said Young. "There are moments of my career I will never forget, like starting against and beating Duke University during my sophomore season in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. I will miss my teammates most of all."

Kaitlyn Lombardo

Wilton grad Kaitlyn Lombardo does not just leave a team behind, she leaves a dynasty.

In the last three years, the University of Pennsylvania lacrosse team has been to the NCAA Division I Final Four three times. The Quakers advanced to the title game in 2008 and finished second in the country.

Lombardo, who played four games as a freshman, earned time in 14 games as a sophomore, 19 games as a junior and started 17 games as a senior. She finished her career with 30 goals and 15 assists. She had 12 goals and three assists as a senior.

"The best moment of my career and the worst moment of my career happened within the last two weeks of my career," said Lombardo. "Beating Duke University to make it to the final four this year was a great feeling. We wanted to crush them, but we managed to beat them by one goal. We were all exhausted and I actually laid down on the field. My legs were cramping. The win over Northwestern University during the regular season was also a great game."

But, a few days later after the win over Duke, Penn had their season ended by the defending national champion Northwestern Wildcats.

"We had some tough losses, but none tougher than that loss," said Lombardo. "I realized that it was the end of a big part of my life. I will miss the sport and will have to find another outlet for my competitive nature. I am excited to see what life has for me next."

During the four years of Lombardo's career, Pennsylvania an overall record of 58-13 and went 25-3 in the Ivy League. The Quakers posted perfect 7-0 records in the league during the last three years of Lombardo's career.

"If you have teamwork and work ethic, you can probably beat a team loaded with stars," said Lombardo. "I want to thank my teammates in high school and college. I hope they are lifelong friends. I am very close to several of them."

The daughter of Robin and Kathleen Lombardo of Wilton earned her degree in communications in May. She is currently enjoying the summer and looking for a full-time job.

"My dad has not missed a game since I was four years old," said Lombardo. "He would help me work on my stick skills. My mom was always the first person that would comfort me after a loss. She was always great. My sister (Kim Lombardo) also came to see me play. My family was very supportive."

Sam Slaughter

At Wilton High, there have been plenty of great offensive players.

But, every great offensive player needs a great defensive player. Enter Sam Slaughter. The Wilton grad recently completed his lacrosse career and before the ink was dry on his Harvard University diploma, he embarked on another adventure, heading to South Africa.

"Sam was a very talented lacrosse player, but he worked very hard to get even better," said Harvard mentor John Tillman. "I started as head coach two years ago and Sam was one of the players that made my transition very smooth. He was a great leader."

Slaughter was part of two different coaching eras, but he was successful in helping turn a team around. As he leaves Harvard University, the Crimson lacrosse team will attempt to build on its 8-5 mark of 2009. They were 3-3 in the Ivy League.

Slaughter started 12 games and played in 13. The defensive player had 27 ground balls. In the Ivy League, Harvard posted a 1-5 mark in 2008.

Slaughter, who played in 52 games, finished his career with one goal and one assist. He finished with 84 ground balls.

"I look forward to seeing him at the alumni game next year," said Tillman. "He was like having a coach on the field. We will miss him in so many ways. I can't count the number of ways we will miss him. There will never be another Sam Slaughter, but I hope we get more players like him. If we do, we will be very successful as a team."

For his play on the lacrosse field, the former Wilton player was named to the Ivy League All-Conference Squad as a junior and a senior. He was a second team selection both times. The engineering major was also selected to the Ivy League all-academic team two times during his career.